Irrfan says his work, not PR, fetched him international films

Mumbai, Feb 21(IANS) One of the most versatile actors in Bollywood, Irrfan Khan, who is part of upcoming American film "The Amazing Spider-Man", says his work has helped him in getting international projects and not any PR work.

"It just happened. I still don't have a PR. International films didn't come to me because of PRs. It came to me because of my work. It came to me because I was destined to work there," Irrfan told IANS.

The 49-year-old became a known name in the international film circuit with his first ever full-fledged movie role in Asif Kapadia's "The Warrior". The 2001 film was shown at the international film festivals and Irrfan carved a niche for himself.

In 2003, he again impressd the global audience with writer-director Asvin Kumar's short film "Road to Ladakh" and earned rave reviews for his performance in the 2003 release.

"My limitation is that I don't know how to do my PR (promote) myself. As an actor, you must know how to do your PR, which I consider as my limitation. When I tried to work on it, it didn't work for me," said the actor who also featured in international projects "A Mighty Heart" and "The Darjeeling Limited" and American HBO "In Treatment".

Then came the Oscar winning film "Slumdog Millionaire", in which he played a police officer.

Post the humungous success of "Slumdog Millionaire", Irrfan bagged director Marc Webb's superhero film "The Amazing Spider-Man", based on the comic book of the same name.

"It was wonderful working with Marc Webb in the film. He is a fabulous director. Adapting a costume was not difficult but the way he approached me, the respect he showered on me is very rarely seen," said Irrfan, who will be seen as Dr. Ratha in the movie.

Irfan said he doesn't have to rely on the box office to bag films. His performance justifies the character, which helps him to get films.

"Had I only relied on box office, then as an actor I wouldn't have got enough films. There are few films which recover their money in certain span of time while some keep running for a longer period that has its own value addition. Among all my films, few have bombed at the box office while some have worked as well," said Irrfan, who is known for his work in "Maqbool" and "Life...In A Metro".

Currently, Irrfan is busy promoting "Paan Singh Tomar", about an athlete who became a dacoit. Directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia, the film, which was stuck for quite some time, will finally hit the screens March 2.